Runoff
by Kaelyn
Summary: (Sequel to Fighting Thaw) After their romp in the snow, Kyuubi's powers fail and Naruto gets sick. Sasuke sucks at more than just poetry. But what does he have to tell Naruto? One-shot, slightly more than mild SasuNaruSasu.


_**Runoff**_

Warning: If you have not read the prequel to this, Fighting Thaw, then it will not make much sense to you. If you haven't read that one, please visit my profile to get to the link.

Disclaimer: The works of Naruto do not belong to me. They belong to a very talented man...whose name I cannot spell.

* * *

"_Runoff results from the rapid melting of the snow under the combined effect of sunlight...and warmer temperatures. If there is an above-average snow depth, a sudden thaw, or both, then the potential and subsequent flooding increases. The later the thaw, the more likely this situation will prevail."  
_-Canada freshwater website: Causes of Flooding

* * *

"I am sick and I hate you. Go away."

Sasuke blinked as Naruto's apartment door slammed in his face. Then he scowled and knocked on the door again. "Naruto, open up!" he yelled through the thin wood. All he got in response were some half grumbled, half shouted curses and epitaphs. Sasuke jiggled the doorknob in frustration and nearly fell flat on his face as the door gave way under him; a small half hop saved him from face-planting. He smirked and shook his head. "Dobe. Only you would slam a door in someone's face and then not lock it."

No sound answered his proclamation; Naruto had disappeared. Sasuke stifled a sigh and ventured further into the cluttered apartment, stepping gingerly around crumpled clothes and ramen cups. He wrinkled his nose in distaste, snatching up a Chuunin vest that had somehow reached out and grabbed his foot. Grasping the wrinkled material in his fist, he called out at random to the empty room. "Maybe if you didn't live in a pigsty, you wouldn't be sick."

"And maybe if certain bastards hadn't decided that snow wrestling would be a fun pastime, I wouldn't be coughing up a damn lung!" came a hoarse voice from the direction of the bedroom. As if to prove his point, a long staccato cough issued directly after. Sasuke followed the sound. He paused just inside the darkened doorway, leaning against the jamb. Naruto lay curled on his bed as if he had just collapsed face first among the rumpled sheets. His face was pressed firmly into the pillow.

"Well don't wait on an apology. You didn't have to come after me." Naruto twisted the arm not trapped under his body up behind him and aimed a middle finger in the general direction of the door. He didn't bother lifting his head from the pillow.

Sasuke pushed off the doorjamb and went into the room. As he got nearer to the bed, Naruto began to cough into the pillow. He still had not stopped nearly half a minute later, his back hunched up and knees pulled into his chest as if his body needed to be braced against the force of each exhalation. Sasuke placed a tentative hand on Naruto's clammy back.

Naruto finally subsided with a pitiful sniffle and collapsed back against the bed. Sasuke ran his hand up to the boy's shoulder and nudged him partly onto his side. "You really _are_ sick," he commented with some surprise. Watery blue eyes glared up at him.

"No shit," the whiskered boy croaked.

"But you never get sick." Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed, leaning lightly against the blonde's stomach. Naruto didn't bother to move away from the contact and even through the barrier of their shirts Sasuke could feel the fever in him.

"I _know_," he whined, screwing his eyes up and pouting

Sasuke smirked, raising the hand that had been on Naruto's shoulder to scratch idly at the back of his neck. "Hn. Glad I'm not you."

A cold hand wrapped around his elbow and yanked him down until Naruto's pale face was only a few inches from his. Sasuke swallowed, eyes flickering down to the parted lips and fought back a blush. Then he wrinkled his nose. "You smell like week old ramen."

Naruto grinned savagely. "That's right bastard," he said. "Talk. Breathe. Eat my germs."

Sasuke grimaced and pried Naruto's fingers apart, hastily sitting up straight again. Naruto let him, hand falling limply back to the bed. "Did you actually want something, teme, or are you just here to torment me?" he asked with an air of resignation. Sasuke opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again. He stood quickly.

"Stay there," he said curtly.

Naruto grumbled and pulled the covers up over his shoulders. "Where the hell else am I gonna go?" Sasuke smirked and left without answering.

* * *

Naruto slide his eyes shut as Sasuke disappeared and stifled a moan. Moaning tended to turn into coughing and his body ached enough as it was. His mind started to drift off without his consent, but he no longer cared enough about maintaining coherency. Muffled background noises of running water and fumbling were lulling him and besides, Sasuke could just kiss his ass if he didn't like it.

Naruto didn't understand why he was so sick; normally the Kyuubi kept him in relatively good condition. The last time he had been sick was almost six years ago now, from some fatally curdled milk. He wanted to wrinkle his nose at that particular memory, but that required energy he had no desire to use. So much for his stamina.

He was nearly asleep and certainly not in his right mind when footsteps alerted him to someone else's presence. It was because of this that he didn't bother to move or even open his eyes as he would have normally. Weight near his stomach pulled the edge of the bed down; gravity curved his body inward around the source. He half started to protest, but quieted when he realized he was shivering and the body next to him was _warm_. Naruto let the growl growing in his throat transform into a purr and curled his legs tighter round the warmth.

If the person objected to being used as a heater, they didn't show it. Instead a cool hand ghosted across his forehead where his hitae-ate would normally rest. It pushed back the limp spikes plastered there and continued further back, fingernails scritching along his scalp. Naruto's purr intensified and his lips curled up slightly. The hand came to a rest at the base of his scull, pressing lightly upwards.

"Dobe, you have to turn onto your back."

Naruto heard the words but couldn't quite make sense of them. Something told him he should be frowning so he did, barely, before realizing he couldn't breathe out of his nose. He quickly parted his lips again. Naruto heard a sigh from somewhere overhead. Fingertips skimmed against the skin left bare by boxers and a rucked up shirt. They retracted briefly at the shock of skin on skin before returning more forcefully, gripping his hip firmly whilst the hand behind his head tightened. Suddenly he was being pushed and prodded onto his back; gently, but still a movement he had no desire to be making. The room spun behind his lids.

Naruto let out a wordless grunt of disapproval. The hands, having accomplished what they wanted, disappeared and slowly the world settled, along with his stomach. With an almost inaudible sigh, he began his descent into sleep once more.

Only to be rudely awakened as something cold and sopping wet plopped down onto his forehead. Naruto gasped and his eyes shot open, only to squeeze tightly shut again as water dripped down into them. It trickled in rivulets down his temples and into his ears. "What the...?" Whatever it was making him wet was removed quickly and replaced with something dry and slightly scratchy that mopped the liquid up. Naruto chanced cracking his eyes open once more.

Sasuke's dark eyes stared down sheepishly from above him. He was biting his lip in consternation as he wiped up the remaining water up with a now damp hand towel. He halted when he realized Naruto was awake and aware. "Um. Sorry."

Naruto scowled, promptly rediscovered he couldn't breathe like that, and changed to an open mouthed snarl. "What the hell was that?"

Sasuke's lips turned down into a mutinous scowl. "A cold compress," he said in tones that brooked no argument. Naruto struggled to sit up, glaring ferociously when Sasuke made a move to stop him.

"More like a bath, jackass. You're supposed to wring the towel out before you slap it on the sick person."

Sasuke flushed a dark red, eyebrows furrowing. "Shut up dobe." He looked down and his hand clenched on the towel in his lap. "I've never done this before."

Naruto, smirked, coughed, and shook his head. "You're the dobe this time. Even I knew that." Sasuke gave the boy a scathing glance, then picked up the wet towel and tossed it in Naruto's face. Naruto let it fall limply to his lap, muttering about inconsiderate bastards making people sicker. Sasuke ignored him.

"And how exactly did you figure that out?" Naruto opened his mouth but Sasuke cut him off. "Don't say common sense; you have none." Naruto's mouth snapped shut before giving a sheepish, open mouth grin.

"I remember from Iruka-sensei. When I was little one time he did it for me. What about you?" Here his voice turned bitter. "You at least _had_ parents for a while. Didn't they do it for you?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I don't remember," he said tersely. Naruto coughed to cover the awkward silence that followed, then realized that he couldn't stop.

"Damn...it," he wheezed heavily a few minutes later as he slumped forward wearily. His forehead bumped against Sasuke's collarbone.

"Oi," hands pushed futilely at his shoulders. "Get off me. You really are going to get me sick." Naruto rubbed his head in deeper, slipping into the indent just under Sasuke's shoulder socket.

"Good." He wrinkled his nose against the dark-haired boy's chuunin vest. "You smell." Sasuke gripped Naruto firmly by the biceps and pushed him upright.

"I was training, moron. I haven't showered yet."

Naruto let gravity work on him and flopped over onto his back. "Go. Shower," he mumbled into his sheets, flapping a hand blindly at the other boy.

There was a long pause. "In your shower." It wasn't a question.

"Whatever. Yeah, sure." Another hesitant pause, then the weight on his bed shifted and disappeared. Naruto sighed and snuggled deeper into his blankets.

"Where are the towels?" Naruto cracked his eyes open at the flat question. Sasuke stood in the doorway with his arms crossed self-consciously over his chest. He raised an eyebrow. Naruto pointed wordless at a pile of unfolded towels in one corner.

"Are those even clean?" Naruto gave a grunt of affirmation. "Right."

"Clothes are in the dresser."

"I am _not_ wearing your clothes."

Naruto pressed his nose further into the bedclothes. "Smelly," he whined pitifully.

"They won't fit me. You're a shrimp!" Naruto lifted his head, eyes squeezed into half-crescents.

"Am not. And...smelly."

"I hate orange.

"Smelly."

"But--"

"Smelly!"

Sasuke threw his hands up in frustration. "Fine. Whatever!" He disappeared again. Naruto smiled contentedly and laid his head back on the pillow.

"I win."

* * *

Sasuke stomped into the miniscule bathroom, realized he had forgotten the towel, and stomped back. Throwing an exasperated glare at the inert body on the bed, he plucked out a random towel and went back to the bathroom.

After he had showered and dried off, he wrapped the towel securely around his waist and went back into the bedroom. He paused just inside the door to look again at Naruto, who lay curled into a fetal position in the far right corner of the bed. "You are such a baby," he murmured, but there was no real malice in his voice. "It's just a cold." There was no response from the blonde boy; he was asleep. Allowing just a hint of a rueful smile, Sasuke turned to the dresser drawers and began rooting around for something that wouldn't be too painful to his sense of style.

He finally settled on a long sleeved black mesh shirt and a pair of black shorts with orange and red flames licking at the legs. Shifting sounds from the bed made Sasuke glance over; Naruto, though still sleeping, was doing so fitfully. He lay on his back with one knee bent up and listing to the side while the other stretched out straight with the blankets tangled around the foot. He was shivering. Sasuke stepped over to the bed and bent over the restless boy. Naruto shuddered, tossed his head, and gave a low moan. Sasuke pulled away as hot breath ghosted across his cheek. His eye fell on the pot of water next to the mattress. He had brought it in earlier with the hand towels. His eyes flicked from the clammy faced boy and back to the pot. Then, with lips set in grim determination, he picked up the drying wash cloth and dunked it once more in the tepid water. This time he wrung it out so thoroughly his already pale knuckles turned bluish. Then, after folding it into a rectangle and moving Naruto's arm which was draped across his eyes, he placed it carefully over the feverish boy's forehead.

Sasuke smiled in triumph when no stray drips trailed down. Then Naruto twitched, flipped his head, and the washcloth dropped to the pillow.

Sasuke's smile dropped as well. With two fingers pressed firmly against the boy's flushed cheek, he straightened Naruto's head and replaced the cold press. Naruto moaned and tossed his head to the other side; the towel slipped off again. The bare beginnings of a growl growing in his throat, Sasuke pushed the blonde's head straight a little more forcefully this time and dropped the towel onto his forehead. Groan. Shift. Plop. Sasuke stared at the boy and towel with mounting frustration. Then Naruto twitched once more, arm slinging out and smacking Sasuke soundly across the ear. The crook of the whiskered boy's arm caught around his neck in a semi-hug that dragged Sasuke's chin nearly into the mattress. Sasuke flushed and tried unsuccessfully to shrug the arm off. He opened his mouth indignantly and raised one hand to bop the troublesome boy on the head.

Then he closed his mouth and let the hand drop to the pillow, knuckles grazing the boy's ear and the matted spikes that curled around it. "Damn you, Naruto," he whispered vehemently, "Always have to be a pain in the ass, don't you?" He ducked under the arm and stood, surveying the room with narrowed eyes. Eyebrows rose suddenly and he bounded out of the room. He returned a few moments later with a half used roll of duct tape. Sasuke taped the cold press to the boy's head with what any sane mind would deem an overkill of duct tape then stepped back and surveyed his work with crossed arms. He nodded with smug satisfaction. Naruto shifted once more, flipping onto his stomach, but the cold press stayed. Smirking triumphantly once more, he untangled the covers from the boy's feet and tucked them tightly around Naruto's shoulders. He briefly contemplated duct taping those down as well but figured that would be going a bit too far.

"I win," he muttered to the sleeping boy.

That task over and done with for the moment, Sasuke spent the next ten minutes searching the room for house keys before finally finding them in the pocket of a dirty pair of orange pants next to the dresser. "Dobe," he said as he pocketed the keys, "I'm going to go get some stuff. I'll be back."

Naruto didn't respond, but Sasuke hadn't really expected him to. He left the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him so no one could disturb the sick boy. Then, glancing left and right, made his way quickly to the nearest market, hoping not to be seen.

He knew this hope was in vain, however, as the larger (and nicer) apartment Naruto had recently moved into was in the middle of the main Shinobi district. Nearly all of their year mates lived nearby. He wasn't in the mood to bother with stealth though, so he took the chance.

He was less than a block away from the market when a drawn out, screeching "Sasuke-kun!" reached his ears. Cringing and slouching into himself, he sped up in a vain attempt at pretending not to have heard. He couldn't, however, ignore the arms that wrapped securely around his elbow and spun him around to face a widely grinning Ino and mildly frowning Shikamaru. "Kami, Sasuke-kun, where have you been hiding those clothes?" Ino asked, still clutching his arm. Sasuke regarded her coldly. She continued to grin and leaned in closer. "You look good," she said conspiratorially, and winked. "Like, really good."

"Aren't those Naruto's clothes?" Shikamaru asked blandly. Sasuke paused in his efforts to extricate his arm from the blonde girl's grasp.

"Yes," he answered back just as blandly.

Ino loosened her grip, allowing Sasuke to pull free and step away. She looked him up and down with raised eyebrows. "No way. How could Naruto have clothes like _that_? Why doesn't he ever wear them?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes, irrationally annoyed at the girl's tone.

"He does," he said curtly. "You just don't notice."

Ino was looking uncomfortable now as well as vaguely skeptical. Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes. "Mendokuse," he muttered, then louder, "Woman, shouldn't you be asking why Sasuke's wearing Naruto's clothes, not questioning the dope's fashion sense?" Ino blinked, then frowned.

"That's right. Why are you?" she asked, turning back to Sasuke. Sasuke shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I took a shower there after training," he murmured distractedly, looking in the direction of the market. He didn't want to leave Naruto alone too long as the idiot was likely to do some sort of damage to himself if not watched. The two in front of him were wasting his time. Deciding, he turned and began walking again, calling over his shoulder, "He's sick." They trailed after him, looking thoroughly confused.

"Sick?" Shikamaru asked, sounding interested for once. "But Naruto never gets--"

"Sick, I know," Sasuke cut him off. "But he is now, so I'm getting him some medicine because the idiot doesn't have any."

"That's really nice of you Sasuke-kun, to care for your team mate," Ino said. Sasuke scowled.

"I just don't want to listen to his whining," he said brusquely. The last thing he needed to be thought of as was sweet, especially where Naruto was concerned. "Besides, if he's sick he'll just drag me down," he added in afterthought, reminded of the reason he had visited Naruto in the first place. Ignoring his year mates' curious glances, he sped up. "I have to go," he said quickly and crossed the street to the market. Ino and Shikamaru shrugged and just let him go.

Glad they hadn't followed him, Sasuke quickly made his way over to the pharmaceutical section. After several minutes' deliberation, he grabbed a couple boxes and bottles, paid for them and left. He made one more stop on the way before hurrying back. Fumbling with his bags and the key ring, which had an absurd amount of key chains attached, he finally managed to make his way back into the bedroom and set them down carefully next to the bed to check on his unofficial patient.

Naruto had changed positions again, once more curled into a tiny ball. His shivers were obvious even under the thick blankets. Sasuke dropped to his knees beside the bed and shook the boy's shoulder.

Hazy blue eyes opened sluggishly, closing again several times before settling at half mast. "Muh...?" was the whiskered boy's intelligent response to Sasuke's queries about his health. His eyes squeezed shut again as he moaned. "Itai," he whispered, "someone's burning my throat." One eye squinted open. "And my forehead won't move."

Sasuke glanced at his duct tape handiwork and smirked. "Here." Leaning one forearm on the bed, he pried a corner of the tape up with a fingernail, got a firm grip on it, and jerked.

Naruto's head jerked forward with it. "Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" he yelped, slapping hands over the cold press still half attached to his forehead. Watery blue eyes opened and glared through fingers. "What the _hell_, Sasuke?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to curl the fingers still clapped against Naruto's forehead into a fist. "Hn. Baby."

Naruto shoved Sasuke's fingers to the side and felt his head, eyes crossed in a perplexed look. "What the...what did you do to me?"

Sasuke frowned mutinously. "You had a fever and wouldn't hold still," he said, a hint of defensiveness tainting his bland tone.

"So?" Sasuke shifted and glanced out the window.

"So I taped a cold compress to your head," he mumbled.

Silence met his statement. He peeked surreptitiously at his companion. Naruto stared expressionlessly at him. Sasuke turned back apprehensively as the silence continued, arranging his features into a challenging expression. He refused to look away. Finally Naruto shifted, opened his mouth. Sasuke tensed in anticipation.

"You fail."

"What?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of him. If it hadn't been for his chapped nose and the compress still hanging half off his head like a giant Band-Aid, it would have been a fairly formidable glare. "At taking care of sick people. You suck, Sasuke!"

The dark-haired boy's brow furrowed. "Well, what was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, I don't know," Naruto said sarcastically. "Stay? Not treat me like a box that won't stay closed?"

"I wasn't treating you like a box. If I was, I would've taped your mouth," Sasuke responded impassively. Naruto stuck his tongue out before wavering uncertainly in his sitting position. Without speaking, Sasuke reached over the sick boy's body and grabbed the one other pillow on the bed. Bunching it and a stray throw blanket together, he shoved the bundle behind Naruto's shoulder blades and pushed the boy to rest against them. "Besides," he continued as if nothing had happened, "I had to go pick up a few supplies. I needed a longer term solution."

Naruto pouted and settled more comfortably in his half reclined state. "What's more important than your poor best friend? The one who _you_ got sick, by the way," he asked, only half joking. Sasuke rolled his eyes subtly.

"Medicine," he stated blandly, hoisting the pharmacy bag with one finger and dropping it in the blonde's lap.

"Oh," Naruto said, sounding extremely sheepish. Sasuke snorted and pulled the hanging compress the rest of the way off the boy's head. Naruto yipped and grumbled peevishly, rubbing the irritated flesh.

"Here," Sasuke added after a pause, handing over a Styrofoam covered bowl. "This too." Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Ra...ramen?" he stuttered, already starting to drool. At Sasuke's gruff nod, Naruto gave a hoarse whoop of joy, ripped off the top and dug in. "I love you, I swear!" he said between gulps.

Sasuke reddened, frowned at his knees. "No, you don't," he muttered lowly. Naruto, whose hearing Sasuke often found to be unfairly sharp, paused and looked up, noodles hanging from his lips.

"Eh?" He bit off the remaining bits and swallowed. "What was that?"

Sasuke sighed and sat down with one knee bent up and the other curled under the space it made, elbow resting on the bed and chin resting on hand so he could look at Naruto comfortably. "We need to talk, Naruto." The blonde, sensing the suddenly serious air, set the mostly empty bowl aside.

"What's up?"

Sasuke took a heavy breath, eyes sliding unconsciously away from that blue gaze to focus on the whisker-like scars just below. "I'm leaving again," he said quietly into the silence.

Naruto's reaction was delayed and when it came, was the complete opposite of what Sasuke had been half expecting. His face slowly lost all expression and his eyes dulled to a stormy gray. "Naru--" Sasuke began uncertainly, but Naruto cut him off.

"I give up," he said tonelessly, dropping his head.

"What?" Sasuke reached out to touch the boy but he jerked violently away.

"I give up, Sasuke." He shook his head, voice still dark and low. "You win. I can't _do_ this anymore. So go."

Sasuke frowned and reached for the boy again. "Hold on, dobe, you don't--"

Naruto slapped his hand sharply away this time and turned to face him, eyes blazing a furious, desolate cerulean. "Just get the fuck out of here, Sasuke!" he snarled. "You got what you wanted, I'm not gonna follow you this time, okay? I am sick and tired!"

"I know," Sasuke broke in, picking up the medicine again. "I--"

"Not physically, you stupid bastard! Of you!" he roared at the top of his lungs. He broke into a coughing fit that left him doubled over and heaving for breath. When he had finally calmed a bit, he looked up from his hunched position, dull blue eyes peeking out from splayed fingers. "If you're so determined to leave m--" his voice hitched, "—us, then go. I won't stop you anymore." He lay back down facing away from Sasuke and curled into a ball, struggling and failing to hide the deep, shuddery breaths he took.

Sasuke let his head droop slowly to the mattress, squeezing his eyes shut so tightly he saw starbursts behind his eyes. His forehead bumped lightly against Naruto's lower back; the other boy started to move away but Sasuke wrapped one arm tightly around his hips, the other hand fisting in his shirt. To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto didn't fight the hold, simply took another trembling breath and curled his legs closer to his chest as if to trap the arm trapping him. Sasuke lifted his head so he stared sightlessly at the wrinkled fabric and slim line of tanned skin bared before him.

"I have to leave," he said slowly in a stilted voice, not sure how to put into words the thoughts that had been occupying his mind since coming back with Naruto two days ago. "This place...it's not helping me. I can't concentrate anymore, and our training sessions aren't enough. I've hit a wall and no matter what I do I just keep banging my head against it. My brother--"

"Spare me your revenge rant, Sasuke," Naruto said in a low, shaking voice. "You're a fucking broken record. Just leave already." He started to move away again. Sasuke tightened his grip and lifted his head higher.

"Not until I've finished my explanation," he growled.

In a sudden flurry of motion, Naruto flipped over in his grip to face Sasuke. The dark haired shinobi found himself quite suddenly nose to bellybutton with the sick boy; his awkward grip on the blonde's shirt had caused it to shift upwards so most of his stomach and ribs showed now. He had just enough time to wonder at the circular tattoo that seemed burned into his abdomen before a hand tangled in his hair and jerked his head back painfully. He forced himself to remain impassive as he stared into Naruto's face; the whiskers across his cheeks had become more pronounced and his pupils were slit like a cat's. Snarling elongated canines were bared at him threateningly.

"Don't try to justify yourself to me," he hissed. "I _don't_ want to hear it." Fingernails dug into his scalp. Swallowing a wince, Sasuke transferred the hand wrapped in Naruto's shirt to the boy's wrist, digging his own fingers into the soft flesh. He tightened the arm around his waist.

"I'm. Not. Justifying," he said through gritted teeth. "And if you'd let me finish, you'd understand."

"Bullshit," Naruto said in a guttural growl. His eyes flickered red briefly and out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw the tattoo starting to glow warmly like embers under his bicep. Naruto's eyes were narrowing to slits. "You know what?" he said decisively, "I changed my mind. You aren't going anywhere!" Abruptly he jerked Sasuke upwards and towards him with unnatural strength. Sasuke toppled on top of the smaller boy, tangled together in a mess of limbs and bed sheets. Naruto lunged upwards; the hand in Sasuke's hair tugged his head sharply backwards and sharp teeth clamped down hard on his neck, just to the right of his Adam's apple. Sasuke's own hands tightened convulsively on their grips around Naruto's waist and wrist and he let out an involuntary sound of pain and surprise.

Gravity dragged them back down onto the bed, the pillows and sheets balled up under Naruto's back bending them into a painful position. "Naru--" Sasuke started to gasp, but shut up when the teeth clamped down harder and a growl rumbled against the sensitive skin. "Damn it, Naruto, let go," he yelped, letting go of his wrist to shove against the blonde's shoulder.

"Not a chance," Naruto managed to mumble without actually relinquishing his hold on Sasuke's neck. Sasuke froze; the feel of Naruto's lips moving against his skin while he spoke had sent a tingling shiver racing through his body. He pushed the feeling roughly away.

"Fine," he snapped, though it hurt for him to speak. "Two can play." He brought his hand up and grabbed Naruto by the bangs, jerking the boy's face further into the crook of his neck and shoulder. Then he craned his head forward and clamped his own teeth onto the side of Naruto's neck.

Sasuke had expected a yelp, a growl, some sort of like response to his actions. What he didn't expect was for Naruto to suddenly arch up into him with an odd, choked whimper, releasing his own tooth hold on Sasuke to gasp. The hand that had been pulling on his hair was now pushing his head closer to the arch of the blonde's neck, his other hand scrabbling for a hold on Sasuke's lower back. Heat pulsed regularly against the dark-eyed boy's stomach; he knew innately it came from the tattoo.

Sasuke let go of his hold and forced his head up in spite of the hand that was rather adamantly pushing it back down. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked breathlessly as he stared down at Naruto's flushed, dazed looking face. His eyes had turned fully red, pupils dilated beyond what a normal human's should be and the whisker scars had thickened to deep black stripes. Needle sharp canines dented his lower lip as he continued to pant erratically, flickers of that strange red chakra he often used while fighting dancing around him. "Um, Naruto?" The warmth against his stomach pulsed white-hot for a second. Frowning, Sasuke slid a hand between them to press flat palmed against the tattoo. It flared hot again as Naruto's eyes fluttered closed briefly; he made a sound dangerously close to a keen. "What _is_ this?"

Instead of answering, Naruto jerked his head upward again, crushing his lips against Sasuke's; when the Uchiha tried to move away again he dug his teeth into his lower lip warningly. Not sure what else to do, Sasuke relented, blinking warily as he stared down into Naruto's half lidded, red eyes. The blonde's tattoo was burning against his skin now; he would have hissed in pain if he had been able. His eyes closed.

Naruto finally let go his hold on Sasuke and dropped back to the pillows under him, eyes closed and breathing in quick gasps. The heat against their stomachs subsided to a lukewarm tingle. Sasuke found himself with his forehead pressed lightly to Naruto's, one hand cradling his head and the other pressed into the mattress next to it, wondering how exactly they had gotten into this position. When Naruto's eyes slid open again, they were their normal blue and looking very confused. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke swallowed. "Yeah?"

"Ano...what are you doing?"

Sasuke stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment before sitting up abruptly. "You don't...remember," he said slowly. Naruto frowned, eyes squinting shut in concentration as he thought. Then his features ironed out and that strange blank look began taking over again.

"I remember you saying that you were going to leave again," he stated flatly. Sasuke's brow furrowed.

"Yes, and you were too bullheaded to let me explain," he said tersely. "Then you started emitting that strange red chakra and your features changed again." He reached down and pulled up Naruto's shirt. "And what is this, anyways?" he asked, tracing the tattoo, which seemed to be fading. "This thing starts to burn and then you start acting all weird and kissing me."

Naruto looked stunned and more than a little distressed. "I kissed you?" he whispered. Sasuke licked his lip and rubbed his neck where Naruto had bitten him; both were still bleeding sluggishly.

"Among other things," he said dryly. Naruto flushed. "Don't change the subject," he pressed his hand flat against Naruto's belly, "this is a seal, isn't it."

Naruto looked away. "None of your damn business. Shouldn't you be going?" he asked stubbornly. Sasuke hit the mattress in exasperation and bent back over the boy, turning his head forcefully so they glared at each other from a bare few inches away.

"Listen once and for all, dobe," he snarled into the boy's face. "I am leaving, no matter what." So close up, Sasuke could see Naruto's eyes fracture and was prepared for the hands shoving him away. He pushed past them, cheek skimming cheek as he whispered furiously in the blonde's ear, "But I want you to come with me!"

Naruto went limp, hands curling against Sasuke's chest where they had previously been pushing upwards. "Wha...?" Sasuke pulled back just enough so their noses brushed lightly and smirked.

"Dumbass, you're the only one here who's worth anything to me. Of course I want you with me. And it's not for long, just a few years until I can beat Itachi." Naruto stared up with him with painfully wide eyes. Then he was pushing up again, nudging Sasuke off of him. This time Sasuke let him, rolling catlike back into his position on the floor beside the bed.

"You bastard!" Naruto yelled, but his lips were quirked up in a slight smile. "Why the hell didn't you say so in the first place? You live to torture me, don't you? Teasing the sick one, how cruel are you?"

"You didn't exactly give me time to, did you idiot?" Sasuke retorted. Naruto stuck his tongue out.

"I would have if you had said it right off, instead of making me think you were ditching me again!"

"You know you're still changing the subject, right?"

Naruto shut up, hands dropping from where they had been waving animatedly in the air to clasp across his stomach. "I know," he admitted sheepishly, "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."

"What is that seal for?" Sasuke watched the other boy carefully as emotions flitted across his face. Fear featured predominantly, as well as desperation, confusion, and sadness. For once, the grinning mask the boy hid so often behind was nowhere to be found. Naruto looked younger without it.

"Don't make me tell you," he finally whispered hoarsely, "please."

Sasuke gazed in bemusement at the boy staring so hard at his hands. Naruto rarely asked for anything seriously and even more rarely did so politely. Wordlessly, Sasuke picked up the bag of medicines, the bag rustling loudly in the silence. "Here," he said brusquely, "take your medicine already. I want to get going and I don't want you holding me back."

Naruto glared and snatched the bag from him, grabbing a random bottle and gulping from it like a sports drink or a sake jug. Sasuke blanched but refrained from smirking when the boy immediately spit the medicine back out, spluttering wildly and clutching his throat. "Eeewwww!" the boy whined, pawing at his tongue as if it would help eradicate the taste from his mouth. "What the hell did you give me, poison?" Sasuke reached out and flicked the blonde affectionately.

"It's cough syrup, dobe. It'll make you better." Naruto was looking at the bottle in his hands as if he highly doubted the truth in these words.

"Screw that," he said, chucking the bottle to one side. The bag with the rest of the medication followed suit. "I'm actually feeling better already anyways." Sasuke frowned, eyes tracking the bag of medicine.

"I paid good money for that stuff, you know. And how can you be feeling better? Not twenty minutes ago you were practically coughing up a lung."

"So I'll pay you back for it. And I am feeling better. I'm not coughing anymore, am I?" Sasuke had to admit that the boy both looked and sounded better than before.

"Maybe it was the ramen," Naruto teased, grinning. He leaned forward deviously. "Or maybe it was that little kiss you were telling me about..."

Sasuke flushed bright red. "Urk..."

Naruto, seeing Sasuke's reaction, seemed to realize what he had said. He blushed even darker, if possible, than Sasuke. "Um. Just kidding." There was a long awkward pause, in which Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Listen, eh...it's not like I really...I mean...I didn't mean to do it, at least I don't think. I mean..." the blush traveled to the tips of his ears and down under his collar. "I wasn't in my right mind, alright?"

Sasuke bit his lip and looked down, fists clenching in his lap. "It's fine," he said shortly. "It's not like it's the first time it's happened. Accident the first time, accident the second time. Just forget about it." He stood up, suddenly needing to get out of that room at all costs. "If you're really feeling better, then get ready to go. I'm leaving at nightfall." He turned to leave.

"Sasuke!" The dark haired boy turned back. Naruto was out of the bed now, standing with feet apart and hands clenched at his sides. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then shook his head, changing his mind. "At least go let Tsunade-baba know that we're going. I'm not gonna let you get me branded missing-nin and ruin my dream of Hokage just because you're impatient, okay?"

Sasuke swallowed and gave a grunt of understanding. "Aa," he said softly. "I won't ruin your dream, Naruto."

Naruto smiled happily. "I'll see you at sundown, ne?"

"Hai."

Sasuke left, heading towards the Hokage's tower. Half way there he stopped, made a strange face, and sneezed. Twice. Back in Naruto's apartment, the boy paused briefly in his frenzied packing, for in the distance, he could have sworn he had heard someone bellowing at the top of their lungs,

"Damn you Naruto!"

Words to know (feel free to skim over these if you know them):

**Dobe:** dead last, loser, idiot  
**Teme**: bastard. Actually just the rude form of 'you', but Naruto seems to use it randomly so...  
**Chuunin:** second level ninja (if you don't know this one, then...sadness)  
**Kyuubi: **Shortened down version of Kyuubi no kitsune (or Youki, depending on who you talk to) The Nine-tails Fox.  
**Hitae-ate:** forehead protector  
**Mendokuse:** "how troublesome" – Shikamaru's catch phrase  
**Itai:** Ow, it hurts, etc.  
**Tsunade-baba:** Kind of a rude suffix for an older lady. Basically, old lady Tsunade, or old hag.  
**Nin**: person  
**Aa:** a sound of acknowledgement  
**Hai**: yes

**Author's note**: First off, I wanted to thank all the lovely people who reviewed Fighting Thaw. I was not expecting that kind of response, and it totally and completely made my week. Also made me get up off my butt and write out this story. Sorry it took a bit longer, I've been really busy with college and work (thank my Fool for Love English class, because that's where the majority of this was written, ironically).

Anyways, I have decided that I am going to be writing a longer sequel to these that will start about two years later. So if you liked these, please keep your eye out for the first chapter of that in the next few weeks. (hint: reviews keep me motivated wink) I promise there will be an actual (gasp) plot to the longer one, as well as more characters, romance, and action. Well, good luck to all!

Kae

**P.S.** Quick note to readers. Yes, my Sasuke is out of character. This is partly because I can't seem to write him as well and partly because this is almost 6 years after the current manga. And going off what I've read so far, this is how I see him in the future (well, prior to the last few chapters...argh! ::smacks Sasuke::). The poem in Fighting Thaw was a gag that just had to go and turn into a story. Then I couldn't take it out, even if it was wildly OOC.

**P.P.S.** Yes, I _was _rabidly sick while writing this, how could you tell? ::grin::


End file.
